Barclay Powers is an author and futurist filmmaker. He earned
his Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies from Columbia University
and has an extensive background as an independent scholar. He has
studied Chinese, Tibetan and Indian meditation, yoga and martial arts
traditions for more than 30 years. Powers is currently releasing
multiple media projects worldwide in film and print, related to the
evolution of consciousness based on his studies with numerous
masters of ancient wisdom traditions. His most recent film, The Lost
Secret of Immortality, based on his book, won best
spiritual/religious/Christian film at the Great Lakes International Film
Festival, 2012, the Silver Palm Award at the Mexico International Film
Festival, 2012 and best spiritual documentary at the New York
International Film Festival, 2011. See his website at
www.lostsecretofimmortality.com for information on the book,
graphic novel and film.

Why Buddhism Is True

Barclay Powers

Robert Wright's book, Why Buddhism Is True, is a good example of the
current total mistranslation of the single most valid and important scientific insight
of Buddhism, the Buddha Nature, the central error in secular Buddhist and Western
psychological attempts to explain Nirvana/Buddhahood. It also demonstrates the
ability of any psychologist who meditates for twenty years or so to creatively
imagine that their understanding of emptiness, the Tao, the non-self and
Buddhahood is accurate. Since the book is also titled The Science and Philosophy
of Meditation and Enlightenment, the text is another example in which closet
religious conversion occurs in a psychologist who then triumphantly proclaims
Buddhism is a science, which "holds the key to moral clarity and enduring
happiness." To his credit he does acknowledge that the Buddhist narrative is a
"fighting the devil (Mara)" story.

The six classes of beings were never considered to be mere
symbolic depictions of psychological states.

Wright does a good job in asking why natural selection would design a brain
that leaves people deluded about themselves and their true potential.
Unfortunately since Wright has not actually seen his Buddha Nature, he is not
capable of explaining the key East Asian Zen concept, "See your Original Face and
become a living Buddha," as the seed, flower and fruit of real meditation. From the
perspective of contemplative neuroscience, the goal of meditation/yoga, a return
to the Original Mind or pre-birth consciousness, can be described as the
physiological integration and rewiring of the central and peripheral nervous
systems. A classical pre-modern Indian medical explanation would be a whole
body kundalini activation that unites physical, subtle and super subtle bodies. Of
course this "true" Northern Buddhist explanation of Buddhahood cannot currently
be accepted by neuroscience, psychology, secular Buddhism and particularly by
Southern Buddhism.

It can be predicted, and the Dalai Lama would have to agree, that a future
scientific rediscovery of the Buddha Nature will change our definition of ourselves
and the world in which we live much more then Darwin did. It will also explain the
true philosophers stone, and the alleged history of the philosophy of science, as an
incredible example of the white male brain deluding itself within a racist context of
cultural superiority, and a materialist narrative which is toxic to life and liberty,
as well as the pursuit of ultimate happiness, which logically has to be Nirvana, the
goal of meditation, the origin of consciousness.

The Shaolin Temple, the origin of Chan/Zen

Your Original Face or Buddha Nature, the embryo of Buddhahood is an
enlightened golden structure of consciousness within the physiological starting
point of the body. It represents a scientific truth that there is a living relic or treasure
within the physical body which is more valuable then anything on earth, because
when activated it results in the direct meditation experience of the literal origin of
consciousness, which has always been enlightenment. The visual experience of the
complete dissolution of this enlightened structure is the actual goal of meditation,
which returns the mind to void, and the reason for the concept of no self.

This is why the original meaning of Nirvana is snuffing out/extinguishment
(like a candle), whereas Wright claims that "unconditioned" is a better translation
then "bliss" because bliss sounds like drugs and Kurt Cobain was a heroin addict
that killed himself. It's those damned drugs again. Actually "unconditioned"
suggests a return to the state of the bliss of the original unconditioned pre-birth
consciousness. Because the reproductive system is the most important aspect of
awakening, based on nadi, prana, and bindu, Tantric Buddhahood results in the
brain experiencing sexual bliss, which is not sexual all the time. This is why the
Mahamudra system says there can be no enlightenment without sexual yoga, and
that the human orgasm is a non-dual metaphor for enlightenment.

Tantric Buddhahood is based on sexual yoga
uniting the mother and son lights.

Wright uses the poem of the third patriarch of Chan/Zen to illustrate his take
on awakening which appears to be some kind of liberal non-duality that doesn't
really explain anything scientifically, much like integral theory.

The Great Way (Tao) is not difficult for those who have no preferences.
When not attached to love or hate, all is clear and undisguised.
Separate by the smallest amount, however, and you are as far from it
as Heaven is from Earth.
If you wish to know the truth, then hold to no opinions
for or against anything.

Wright cannot understand this poem, but seems to assume it is nihilistic. If an
individual has seen his/her Original Face however the meaning is clear. First of all
Heaven is Yang, Earth is Yin, humans are half yin half yang. The realization of the
Tao is the Triplex Unity (also a famous text), the union of Heaven, Earth and Man,
which returns the individual to primordial enlightenment. The Tao or Great Way
means the path to origin, the original awakened state of natural unconditioned
enlightened consciousness prior to subject/object perceptual distinction, pre-birth
consciousness like an embryo inside its mother. Check out Transforming the Void:
Embryological Discourse and Reproductive Imagery in East Asian Religions for an
academic look at the embryo of enlightenment or fetus of the Tao as the Buddha
Nature is often called.

Fetus of the Tao

The key idea here is that synchronizing the firing of the neurons of the brain,
heart and gut brain, while opening and activating the acupuncture meridians by
rewiring the nervous system, returns the human brain to its original enlightened
state independent of attraction, aversion, and indifference which neuroscience
agrees characterizes the brains response to stimuli. What makes enlightenment
possible and the real goal of being human is the Buddha Nature.

What is amazing about psychological attempts to explain Nirvana is how the
materialist agenda of the scientific narrative of awakening totally conflicts with the
Asian medical explanation of the rewiring of the nervous system and the opening of
the Buddha eye. Secular Buddhism and Mindfulness based meditation literally
prevent actual awakening, just like integral theory because the Buddha Nature has
not been understood as a structure of enlightened consciousness within the body
and the second brain or enteric nervous system.

The actual goal of meditation, Buddhahood or the union of the three bodies,
suggests that every aspect of our description of our true identity, (that of a living
Buddha) will change for the better when the Buddha Nature is understood as the
actual mechanism of enlightenment by science.

The consequence of completing the Thogal leaping over practice

.

Whether or not the meditator/yogi sees this for themselves is fully dependent on
the rewiring of the human nervous system which activates the Buddha eye, meta
cognitive pineal, pituitary, and hypothalamus functional integration. As it says in the
Bible if thine eye be single thy whole body will be full of light. The most valuable
thing on earth, the pearl beyond price, is in your body. The Buddha nature is the
scientific truth that returns the mind to its original awakened state and
demonstrates that the origin of consciousness is enlightenment. This means that
evolutionary psychology is completely contradicted by the science of Buddhist
awakening. Science is intellectually disemboweled by the sword of real Zen. As
Confucius said, to see the Tao in the morning, (your Original Face) is to die happy
that night.